Nymphomaniac film ban reversed in Romania

Lars von Trier (centre) in Copenhagen with Gainsbourg and Skarsgard

A ban on the second half of Danish director Lars von Trier's two-part film Nymphomaniac in Romanian cinemas has been reversed, according to reports.

The film will now be released as planned on 7 February.

Romania's film commission had initially given it an 18 XXX rating, making it illegal to show publicly.

The film, which sees a woman recounting her sexual experiences, will be released in the UK on 22 February.

Its distributor, Independenta Film, called the initial decision to ban Nymphomaniac: Volume II by the CNC (Centrul National al Cinematografiei) "a case of censorship which is unique in Europe".

Georgica Severin, chairman of the Romanian senate's culture committee, also criticised the decision, pointing out the fact that Nymphomaniac: Volume I was already running in the country's cinemas.

The Hollywood Reporter said the president of the ratings commission, Cristina Corciovescu, had been dismissed and that the film's rating had been changed to Romania's version of an 18 certificate.

It quoted an email from Antoine Bagnaninchi, managing director of Independenta film, which said it was "great publicity" for the film "but very bad for the image of Romania".

Stacy Martin plays the main character, Joe, in her younger years

Nymphomaniac tells the story of Joe, played by Charlotte Gainsbourg, who recounts her life's sexual encounters to a celibate man, played by Stellan Skarsgard.

US actors Shia LeBeouf, Christian Slater and Uma Thurman also feature in the cast, as does Britain's Jamie Bell.

Lars von Trier is a controversial film-maker who has become a favourite on the European film festival circuit thanks to such films as Dogville and Dancer in the Dark.

In 2011 he was given a lifetime ban from the Cannes Film Festival after claiming to sympathise with Adolf Hitler at a press conference to promote his film Melancholia.